Updated

oorjalogo.gif

Oorja Protonics, a secretive Menlo Park developer of alcohol-based fuel cells, has raised around $5.52 million in Series A funding, led by Sequoia Capital, according to a regulatory filing (scroll down). The company is run by Sanjiv Malhotra. It is significant because it is the first sign that Sequoia is pursuing alternative power/energy companies. Sequoia has been mum on green tech, despite the loud drum-beating by its cross-town rival, Kleiner Perkins. (Compare their priorities, as stated on their Web sites, here and here).

Update: Mark Wendman says he’s found links to the three patents by the inventor.

Update II: Rob Day suggests it may focus on battery replacement.

VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.